(a) The General Assembly declares it to be the policy of the state to manage harvested and nonharvested wildlife to insure their continued participation in the ecosystem and to accord special protection to any endangered species or subspecies of wildlife indigenous to the state in order to maintain and enhance their numbers.

(b) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall establish a conservation program for species not traditionally harvested which shall include provisions for the following: Resource inventory, habitat conservation, monitoring of environmental impacts, conservation of endangered and threatened species, wildlife recreation management, wildlife conservation education, private landowner assistance, urban wildlife conservation, problem animal management and scientific research, planning, administration and development.